BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — The Board of Fire Commissioners District 1 received a $106,400 grant for operations and safety from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Fire Marshal Larry Neis said the board applied for the grant five or six months ago, and commissioners were not certain they would get it. “It’s a good thing that we put in for it,” he said.

He explained that the fire company has to spend the money within one year of receipt and it must be spent only on certain products.

Neis, who is one of five fire marshals and serves as the assistant treasurer and purchasing manager, said the funds are for the purchase of SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) equipment, which includes face masks and face pieces for the firefighters when they go into smoke-filled buildings.

“Each piece costs about $5,600. We did reduce the request a bit. Some of the pieces that we get will be extra breathing bottles.

“The equipment we are presently using is outdated,” he added. “This new equipment complies with NFPA’s [National Fire Protection Association] latest technology to keep firemen safe in a fire.”

Neis said that Tinton Falls has two fire departments, Wayside and Pine Brook.

“Wayside reported 268 fires in 2004, and Pine Brook reported 275. That includes all of the calls they responded to like alarms and car fires,” he said.

He explained that the departments keep those figures in order to be compliant with the state’s National Fire Information Reporting System.

“We have to report to them yearly on each and every one of our fires indicating what type of fire it was and if there were any injuries.”

Neis said one of the fire trucks will probably have to be replaced next year.

“We did put in a request to replace one of our pumpers, but we did not receive the funding,” he added.

He said one ladder truck can cost as much as $800,000 to $1 million to replace. Other trucks can cost between $300,000 to $700,000.

He said it may take up to a year to have a fire truck built, so they are looking for ways to pay for the new equipment.

“We’re hoping to be able to get one by 2006 or 2007,” he said. “It will be based on our budget.”

The all-volunteer fire district has about 20 volunteers in each district. District 1 is in the center of Tinton Falls, off Pine Brook and Wayside roads, and District 2 is on the southern end, off Asbury Avenue on Volunteer Way.

Tinton Falls was one of eight fire districts in the state to share $797,736 in firefighter grants to local departments.

The DHS announced last week that they would be making 237 grants to fire departments throughout the United States in the fifth round of the Fiscal Year 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

“We recognize the importance of the Fire Act Grants to our nation’s fire departments, and we will continue to work closely with the fire service community to meet their needs,” said Matt Mayer, acting executive director of the Office for State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness.